Theme of ‘connections’ brings together art, design and science at Festival of the Future

A costume designer who worked on hit TV show, The Crown, is to showcase her vast costume collection at an event at the University of Dundee’s Festival of the Future.

In conversation: Costume Design and Film is just one of 29 events taking place in venues across Dundee, from October 9-13, along the festival’s theme of ‘connections’.

Jane Petrie will open up her Dundee-based warehouse to visitors and is set to give a rare insight into costume design for TV and film during a public talk.

Jane, who grew up in Newport, will engage in discussions with Anita Taylor, artist and Dean of the University’s Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD), and visitors can ask questions too. 

Her impressive career spans many different periods and genres of films and TV, including working on Apple TV shows Foundation and The Essex Serpent and movies Suffragette and Outlaw King.

Jane said, “I’ve collected thousands of costumes over my 35-year career, from 1820s outfits to contemporary.

“I want to open up my doors and create an opportunity for people to come in and see the costumes up close, touch the textiles and learn about costume design in a real working warehouse.”

Showcasing research at Festival of the Future

It’s the sixth year the festival has taken place, which aims to showcase research and work taking place at the University through engaging, hands-on events for the wider community.

Other events include workshops on DNA and Parkinson’s, exhibitions of old Dundee photographs from the University’s archives, talks on political and environmental issues, and family workshops on science, mini-beasts and messy play. 

Artist Graeme Mortimer Evelyn will exhibit his film, The Two Coins: Mediations on Trade, and lead a discussion around transatlantic slavery and its legacy.

Using real historical context and research, Graeme created a character narrative around European and African slave traders and slave workers. 

The film was initially produced in silent and shown over the encased statue of Edward Colston – a slave trader in the 1600s – in Bristol, before being screened at various Heritage and UNESCO sites across the world. 

Graeme has now created an audio score inspired by 18th century Caribbean music created during the height of the slave trade, which informed much of his filmmaking during production.

The music will be played for the first time alongside the film during this event, run in collaboration with the University’s Black History Month celebrations.

Graeme said, “All the scenes were informed by this music but I wasn’t able to put musical scores onto the film because of the restrictions in place where it was originally shown, so Dundee is the first time it will be shown in the UK with sound.”

Another film by artist and DJCAD alum Katherine Fay Allan exploring gut health through a character narrative, song and dance, will also be premiered within an immersive gallery experience.

The uplifting film, Gastromancy, was inspired by Katherine’s personal experiences of chronic pain and gastrointestinal symptoms.

Katherine, from Edinburgh, said, “For so long all I had was my symptoms, but this project has allowed me to open up conversations, and to tell my story and the story of others.”

Hands-on family activities 

A number of family events are also taking place as the festival runs over the school October holidays, and many of these sessions are being held at the University’s Botanic Garden.

Children can get hands-on with garden trails, planting sessions, archaeology, a silent disco and even a metal making workshop. There are events for adults to, including a forest bathing event.

And a free interactive fun day will be held at Marryat Hall, where visitors can take part in arts and crafts, learn about science through interactive activities and participate in games sessions.

Emma Preston, the University’s Cultural Projects Manager, said, “This year’s programme features a vast array of different types of events and hands-on activities exploring arts, culture and science, all linked together with the theme of connections.

“After talking with the schools and directorates within the University, the theme of connections and cross-collaboration came across in all aspects of current work – from connections with nature, communities, families, people, and health and wellbeing.”

A full programme of events can be found at Festival of the Future